Working with voluntary and public sector groups

Volunteer Cycle Ranger Projects

Volunteers depicting their ‘Ranger Area’
on a map of the borough at a recruitment event

Our communities are filled with potential volunteers who, with a little training and guidance, can become a valuable asset in helping their local authority improve its cycling service provision. However, for hard pressed council staff finding, training and managing volunteers can be difficult and time consuming. Transport initiatives can help. We are experienced in working with local communities and user groups to recruit and train volunteer rangers and to set up the processes a council needs for these volunteers to provide effective support. Rangers can:

Report potholes and other street faults

Identify and report on small scale “permeability” improvements

Make suggestions for improving on-street cycle parking

In Tower Hamlets the introduction of a volunteer ranger scheme has helped to move the council into the UK top 20 for its rate of fault fixing.

Cycling for Health

Paul and instructor – Limehouse Basin

With GPs taking more responsibility for health delivery and spending, programmes like “Cycling for Health” should become more popular and Transport Initiatives is leading the way in their development. In addition to GP surgeries we have worked with children’s centres and health trainers to find existing groups who would benefit from encouragement and facilitation of cycling. We can find local instructors and ride leaders and set up the processes by which they will work with the community.

Cycling on prescription is another aspect that we can facilitate for local GPs. Patients needing exercise are much more likely to cycle regularly than go to a gym, if the support is in place to get them started. Transport Initiatives can organise that support.